US2832205A - Ice tray - Google Patents

Description

ICE TRAY Karl Federmann, Hanau, Heinz Claude, Mannheim- Feudenheim, and Richard Ritter and Theophil Pfeffer, Esslingen (Neckar), Germany, assignors to Heinrich Ritter Alnrnininmwarenfahrilr, Esslingen (Neckar), Germany Application March 11, 1955, Serial No. 493,752

Claims priority, application Germany March 18, 1954 8 Claims. (Cl. 62-108.5)

The present invention relates to improvements in reA movable ice trays for refrigerators.

It is the principal object of the present invention to provide a removable ice tray for a refrigerator and a removable insert for such ice tray which partitions the ice formed in such tray into small pieces.

Prior to this invention, various kinds of gridlike ice tray inserts have been known which were provided with rectangular partitions to form ice cubes. Other gridlike ice tray inserts consisted of zigzag-shaped metal strips which were secured at their apices to straight metal strips extending longitudinally of the tray. Such gridlike inserts in which the partitions are alwayspositioned vertically to the bottom of the tray have the disadvantage that, as long as the ice is frozen to the walls of the tray, considerable force is required to pry them loose from the ice and to lift them out of the tray, thereby easily deforming them permanently. Also, even after removing the insert with the ice cubes or ice pieces from the tray, it is difficult to remove them from the individual partitions of the insert, even though these partitions may be moveable relative to each other, since they can only exert a pressure upon the ice cubes which is directed substantially vertically to their outer surfaces.

There are other ice tray inserts known which consist of several partitions or strips of corrugated metal which are separated from each other by at least one straight longitudinal strip and are alternately inclined in different directions to the horizontal plane.

In one design of this type of insert, known, for exi ample, from the German Patent No. 633,685, the corrugated strips may be inserted into the tray without being connected to the longitudinal strips, and provided with hooks on their free upper ends to engage with the front and rear edges of the tray, thereby stretching the corrugated resilient strips. For removing the ice pieces, the corrugated strips are lifted out of the tray individually, and at the same time stretched in their longitudinal direction. When doing so, as the result of the wedging action of the corrugations stretching themselves, the layer of ice which is subdivided and located on the upper side of the corrugated strips, is broken otf the longitudinal strips and the walls of the tray. Although relatively little force is required for such removal, the corrugated strips are easily damaged by being stretched too far, and by thus becoming permanently deformed. Furthermore, as the device consists of a plurality of separate loose parts which have to be inserted and properly tted, its operation is unduly complicated and parts thereof may be easily lost.

In still another tray insert of this general type, as disclosed by the United States Patent No. 2,466,747, the corrugated strips are connected with each other at their upper apices above the longitudinal strips, and their lower apices are guided by pins or the like in slots provided in the longitudinal strips. The free ends of the corrugated strips extend beyond the front and rear` edges of the tray, and may be forced upwardly by cam levers rates Patent l ICC which are pivotally mounted on the outside of the front and rear walls of the tray. In this kind of construction, the layer of ice lying on the upper side of the corrugated strips is broken off merely by pulling up the ends of the corrugated strips, that is, without extending the corrugated strips in their longitudinal direction, and thus without any lateral wedging or shearing action 'which facilitates the separation of the ice from the bottom of the tray. Thus, for breaking or prying off the ice pieces considerable forces are required which are taken up by the corrugated strips in the form of binding stresses. Since the thin corrugated strips cannot transmit any such large bending stresses, this means that only their ends will be bent upwardly and their central portion remains practically inactive. Permanent distortion of the corrugated strips is thus practically unavoidable unless they be made of hard metal of considerable thickness and weight.

It is now one of the objects of the present invention to provide a tray insert which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior inserts as described above. More specically, it is an object of the invention to provide a tray insert which requires very little force for breaking ott the ice and removing the ice pieces from the tray without danger of thereby permanently distorting or damaging any parts of the insert or the tray.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a tray insert which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior inserts as described above. More specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide a tray insert which requires very little force for breaking olf the ice and removing the ice pieces from the tray without danger of thereby permanently distorting or damaging any parts of the insert or the tray.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a tray insert which, rather than constituting a plurality of separate elements to be assembled in the ice tray, is designed so as to form a single unit.

The insert according to the present invention also belongs to the type using corrugated or `Zig-zag-shaped strip. However, these strips are permanently interconnected at their front and rear ends, and provided at least at one end with a lever which is mounted on one or more straight longtiudinal connecting strips so as to be pivotable within a plane extending vertically to the tray bottom. Thus, when pivoting the lever upwardly and outwardly, the zig-zag strips are being extended or stretched in their longitudinal direction.

Except for the fact that the insert should tit reasonably well into the tray, and that the lever for lifting the insert should act upon the adjacent upper edge of the tray, or at least upon a small central portion thereof, and thus requires such edge or point thereof to be at a certain level relative to the level of the insert when placed in the tray, no additional provisions have to be made on the tray. Very little force is required to break off the ice pieces from the walls and the bottom of the tray since the corrugated or zigzag strips when being entended or stretched exert a lateral wedging or shearing er .ct upon the ice pieces, the force of breaking oj the ice pieces thus being distributed and applied upon the ice pieces in several directions.

In order to prevent the corrugations of the tray insert from being excessively extended so that they will no longer lit into the tray, it is another feature of the invention that the lifting lever engages with a suitable stop so as to prevent it from pivoting beyond a certain point.

Another important feature of theinvention resides in providing the straight longitudinal partitions at their lower edges which are adapted to rest upon the bottom of the tray with outwardly directed projections which engage underneath the ice and grip it from below to break the individual ice pieces from the bottom of the tray. These projections may also serve as stops for properly locating the lower apices of the corrugated strips or partitions and for preventing them from being bent and deformed when being inserted into the tray.

Also, the lever for extending the corrugated strips is preferably provided with a nose which, when the lever is being pivoted, will engage with the adjacent front edge of the tray, thus permitting the entire insert to be lifted or pivoted about the lower opposite end of the straight partitions.

These and additional objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be further illustrated in the following detailed description thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. l shows a longitudinal section through an ice tray completely assembled and ready for freezing ice pieces therein;

Fig. 2 shows a View similar to Fig. l with the lever pivoted upwardly to break off the ice pieces;

Fig. 3 shows a top view upon the ice tray as shown in Fi l;

fig. 4 shows a cross section taken along line lV-lV of Fig. l;

Fig. 5 shows a view similar to Fig. l with an insert designed according to a modification of the invention; while Fig. 6 shows a view similar to Fig. 2 with an insert as shown in Fig. 5.

Referring to the drawings, the ice tray l is made substantially of the conventional shape with its outer walls inclined slightly outwardly. The ice tray insert consists in both embodiments of the invention shown in the drawings of two straight longitudinal partitions 2 and three corrugated or zigzag-shaped strips 3 intermediate the partitions 2 and also extending in the longitudinal direction of the tray but alternately inclined in opposite directions to a horizontal plane. Also in both embodiments the two outer, upwardly directed ends of the zigzag strips 3 are bent around, and are thus secured to, transverse pins 4tand 5.

ln the first embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. l to 4, the two pins d and 5 pass through the intermediate partitions 2, with the rear pin 4 passing through a round hole of similar diameter, and the front pin 5 passing through an elongated longitudinal slot 6 in each of the straight partitions 2. A lever 7 serving as a handle for severing the insert and ice pieces from tray l is pivotally mounted on the pin S intermediate the two straight par titions 2. The lever 7 which is preferably pressed out of sheet metal has an outer nose 8 which, when the insert is placed into tray l, projects over the rear edge lt? of tray l.. Lever 7 is also provided at its lower end with two parallel ears 9 serving as a bearing and provided with cam portions 9 which are adapted to cooperate with stops lll on the straight partitions 2. The upper front edge of tray l shown at the right of Figs. l and 2 is preferably made slightly wider than the other edges so as to serve as a handle for inserting the tray into the refrigerator or removing it therefrom.

The lower edge of the straight longitudinal strips or partitions 2 is provided with narrow lateral projections 12 produced by cutting out these strips accordingly and then bending the projecting portions alternately in opposite directions at right angles to the surface of the strips 2, as clearly shown in Fig. 4. These lateral projections l2, which cooperate with the corrugations of strips 3 in their relative movement to exert a lateral or shearing action upon the ice pieces for breaking them off the bottom of the tray and then lifting them therefrom, also serve as supports for the corrugated strips 3, the lower apices of the corrugations being adapted to rest upon these projections so as to prevent the strips 3 from bending downwardly andfrom being deformed thereby.

In the position shown in Fig. l, the lever 7 is pivoted downwardly over the tray, ready to be tilled with water and to be placed in the freezing compartment of the refrigerator. Under the inherent tension of the corrugated strips 3, the pin 5 is then drawn backwardly and against the inner end of the slots 6 in the straight partitions 2. Then, when the ice pieces are to be broken loose and to be removed from the tray, lever 7 is pivoted to the position shown in Fig. 2. ln doing so, the cam portions 9 of lever 7 slide along the stops 11 on the straight partitions 2, thereby shifting the pin 5 together with the ends of the corrugated strips 3 to the outer end of the slots 6. Thereby the corrugated strips 3 are extended or stretched in longitudinal direction and exert with their inclined surfaces a lateral wedging or shearing effect upon the ice layer lying on the upper side of the strips 3, so as to break them loose from the straight partitions 2 and the walls of tray 1. The pivotal movement of lever 7 and the length to which the corrugated strips 3 may be extended is limited by the pin 5 abutting against the outer end or" the elongated slots 6 in the straight partitions 2. Thus, the danger of unduly extending the corrugated strips 3 and thereby damaging them permanently is completely avoided.

While thus pivoting the lever 7 upwardly to extend the corrugated strips 3, the nose on lever '7 engages with the upper edge 10 of the tray ll and exerts a leverage action upon the entire insert to lift the same. The lateral projections 12 on the lower edges of the straight partitions 2 then act upon the lower surface of the individual ice pieces in the lower compartments formed by the individual corrugations of the strips 3 to break them loose from the tray bottom. Thus, all ice pieces will be loose, although still within their individual compartments of the corrugated strips 3, when the insert 2 is in the position shown in Fig. 2 ready to be removed from the tray ll.

Practical tests have shown that in breaking the ice pieces from the bottom of tray 1, the lateral movement of the corrugated strips 3 and the narrow projections 12 relative to each other also shatters the ice pieces to such an extent as to break olf the thin edge of ice normally resting on the narrow projections 12 so that these small projections will not retain the ice pieces after the entire insert is removed. If, for any reasons, however, these projections 12 be made of greater width, then it is advisable that either only one straight partition 2 be provided so that the loose broken-off lower ice pieces may be removed by sliding them laterally from the individual substantially triangular compartments, or, if two straight partitions 2 be provided, that those projections l2 extending toward the longitudinal center of the tray be made rather narrow or be omitted entirely so that these lower central ice pieces can drop out downwardly. In the modified embodiment of the invention as shown 1n Figs. 5 and 6, transverse pin 5 which holds one end of the corrugated strips 3 and is moveable relative to the straight partitions 2, only passes through the two sides of the lever 7 which forms the bearings thereof. For pivot-.

ally securing the lever 7 to the straight partitions 2, a separate pin i9 connects lever 7 with partitions 2 or each ear 9 of the lever 7 of this modified embodiment also has a nose 8 which is designed to engage the upper edge lit of the tray l when lever 7 is raised to break olf the ice pieces.

When thus pivoting lever 7 from the freezing position shown in Fig. 5 to the removal position shown in Fig. 6, pivot pin 5 is moved outwardly, thereby extending the corrugated strips 3 in longitudinal direction. At the same time, the nose 8 engages with the edge 1t) of the tray l, thereby lifting the entire insert and breaking off the ice pieces from the bottom and side walls of the tray and the walls of the straight partitions 2 in the same manner as desribed relative to the embodiment shown in Figs. l to A similar handle 7 may, if desired, also be provided on the other end of the insert. In such event, in the embodi ment shown in Figs. l to 4, an enlongated slot similar to slot 6, as well as stops 11, may also be provided at the other end of the straight partitions 2, while in the embodiment shown in Figs. 5 and 6, pin 4 would only pass through the lever 7 above the upper edge `of the straight partitions 2 or be replaced by a pair of rivets each pivotally connecting one downwardly depending ear 9 of the lever 7 with the adjacent straight partition 2. Also, the lower edges of the straight partitions may then be provided with narrow stops 12 at the points where the lower apices of the corrugated strips will be located when inserted into the tray, so as to prevent these strips from bending downwardly excessively.

While we have described our invention with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof we wish to have it understood that it is in no way limited to the details of such embodiments or to the specific illustrations shown, but is capable of numerous modiiications Within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus fully disclosed our invention, what we claim is:

l. For use in an ice tray of a refrigerator or the like, in combination, an elongated partition adapted to be placed in an ice tray, said elongated partition having a top edge and a bottom edge; an elongated, flexible, resil- `ient corrugated strip extending in a Zig-zag path between said top edge and said bottom edge of said partition from one end to the other end thereof, so as to form on the side of said partition a first series of triangular recesses having each its apex adjacent to the bottom edge of said partition and a second series of triangular recesses having each its apex adjacent the top edge of said partition, said strip being connected adjacent one end to said partition adjacent an end thereof, saidstrip having a side edge located next to a side surface of said partition and said strip extending away from said side surface; a plurality of spaced projectio-ns extending substantially normal to said partition from said bottom edge thereof; and means carried by said partition at an end portion opposite from said one end therof and operatively connected to said strip for stretching the latter and moving the same with respect to said partition, whereby when said partition, strip, and means are mounted in an ice tray and ice forms against said strip and said side surface of said partition, the ice can be separated from said strip and partition by actuating said means to stretch said strip and move the same with respect to said partition. o

2. An ice tray assembly for a refrigerator comprising, in combination, a trough-shaped container having a bottorn wall and a top edge spaced from said bottom wall; at least one partition loosely mounted in said container and extending longitudinally therethrough substantially normal to the bottom wall thereof, said partition having a bottom edge adjacent to said bottom wall and a top edge spaced therefrom; at least two strips formed from a flexible, resilient material, each of said strips extending in a zig-zag path between said top edge and said bottom edge of said partition from one end to the other end thereof respectively along opposite sides of said partition, each of said strips being connected at one end to said partition adjacent one end thereof, and each of said strips having a side edge located respectively next to opposite side surfaces of said partition and said strips extending respectively away from said opposite side surfaces; and lever means pivotally connected to said partition at an end portion opposite from said one end portion thereof and operatively connected to said strips for stretching the latter and moving` the same with respect to said partition, said lever means having an extension located above said top edge of said container so that upon turning of said lever means said extension thereof will abut against said top edge of said .container to lift the end portion of said partition opposite from said one end portion thereof relative to the bottom wall of said container whereby when said ice tray assembly is placed in a refrigerator and ice forms against said strips and said side surfaces of said partition the ice can be separated from said strips and said partition by actuating said means to stretch said strips and move the same with respect to said partition.

3. An ice tray assembly for a refrigerator comprising, in combination, a trough-shaped container having a bottom wall; at least one partition loosely mounted in said `container and extending longitudinally therethrough substantially normal to said bottom wall thereof and having a bottom edge adjacent to said bottom wall of said container and a top edge spaced therefrom; at least two strips formed from flexible, resilient material and respectively extending in a zig-zag path between said top edge and said bottom edge of said partition substantially normal to and along opposite sides of said partition from one end to 4the other end thereof, so as to form on each side of said partition wall a first series of triangular recesses having each its apex adjacent to the bottom wall of said container, and a second series of triangular recesses each being located between adjacent recesses of said first series of triangular recesses and having each its apex spaced from said bottom wall of said container; pivot means for pivotally connecting one end of each of said strips to said one end of said partition wall; and means operatively connected to said other end of said partition and to the other end of each of said strips for lifting said other end of said partition wall relative to said container and for moving said other end of each of said strips respectively away from said one end thereof.

4. An ice tray assembly for a refrigerator comprising, in combination, a trough-shaped container having a bottom wall and a top edge spaced from said bottom wall; at least one partition loosely mounted in said container and extending longitudinally theerthrough substantially normal to said bottom wall thereof and having a bottom edge adjacent to said bottom wall of said container and a top edge spaced therefrom; at least two strips formed from flexible, resilient material and respectively extending in a zig-zag path between said top edge and said bottom edge of said partition substantially normal to and along opposite sides of said partition from one end to the other end thereof, so as to form on each side of said partition wall a first series of triangular recesses having each its apex adjacent to the bottom wall of said container, and a second series of triangular recesses each being located between adjacent recesses of said first series of triangular recesses and having each its apex spaced from said bottom wall of said container; pivot means for pivotally connecting one end of each of said strips to said one end of said partition wall; and lever means pivotally connected to said other end of said partition and operatively connected to the other end of each of said strips, said lever means having an extension located above said top edge of said container lso that upon turning of said lever means said extensions thereof will abut against said top edge of said container for lifting said other end of said partition wall relative to said container and for moving said other end o-f each of said strips respectively away from said one end thereof.

5. An ice tray assembly for a refrigerator comprising, in combination, a trough-shaped Acontainer having a bottom wall and a top edge spaced from said bottom wall; at least one partition loosely mounted in said container and extending longitudinally therethrough substantially normal to said bottom wall thereof and having a bottom edge adjacent to said bottom wall of said container and a top edge spaced therefrom; at least two strips formed from iiexible, resilient material and respectively extending in a zig-zag path between said top edge and said bottom edge of said partition substantially normal to and along opposite sides of said partition from one end to the other end thereof, so as to form on each side of said partition wall a first series of triangular recesses having each its apex adjacent toithe bottom wall of said container, and a second series of triangular recesses each being located between adjacent recesses of said first series of triangular recesses and having each itsapex spaced from said bottom wall of said container; a plurality of spaced projections extending substantially normal to said partition from the bottom edge thereof, said projections being respectively located below the apexes of said first series of triangular recesses respectively; pivot means for pivotally connecting one end of each of said strips to said one end of said partition wall; and lever means pivotally connected to said other end of said partition and operatively connected to the other end of each of said strips, said lever means having an extension located above said top edge of said container so that upon turning of said lever means said extensions thereof will abut'against said top edge of said container for lifting said other end of said partition wall relative to said container and for moving said other end of each of said strips respectively away from said one end thereof.

6. An ice tray assembly for a refrigerator comprising, in combination, a trough-shaped container having a bottom wall and. a top edge spaced from said bottom wall; at least one partition loosely mounted in said container and extending longitudinally therethrough substantially normal to said bottom wall thereof and having a bottom edge adjacent to said bottom wall of said container and a top edge spaced theerfrom; at least two strips formed from flexible, resilient material and respectively extending in a Zig-zag path between said top edge and said bottom edge of said partition substantially normal to and along opposite sides of said partition from one end to the other end thereof, so as to form on each side of said partition a first series of triangular recesses having each its apex adjacent to the bottom wall of said container, and a second series of triangular recesses each being located between adjacent recesses of said first series of triangular recesses and having each its apex spaced from said bottom wall of said container, each of said strips being fastened on one end thereof to one end of said partition; a plurality of spaced projections extending substantially normal to said partition from the bottom edge thereof; and levermeans pivotally connected to the other end of said partition and operatively connected to the other ends of said strips for moving upon turning in succession said other end of each of said strips away from said one end thereof and for lifting said other end of said partition away from said bottom wall of said container.

7. An ice tray assembly for a refrigerator comprising, in combination, a trough-shaped container having a bottom wall and a top edge spaced from said bottom wall; at least one partition loosely mounted in said container and extending longitudinally therethrough substantially normal to said bottom wall thereof and having a bottom edge adjacent to said bottom wall of said container and a top edge spaced therefrom, said partition being formed adjacent one end thereof with an elongated hole therethrough extending substantially parallel to and adjacent the top edge thereof and having spaced from said end a distance larger than said hole an abutting surface projecting laterally therefrom; at least two strips formed from flexible, resilient material and respectively extending in a zig-zag path between said top edge and said bottom edge of said partition substantially normal to and along opposite sides of said partition from one end to the other end thereof, so as to form on each side of said partition a first series of triangular recesses having each its apex adjacent to the bottom wall of said container, and a second series of triangular recesses each being located between adjacent recesses of said iirst series of triangular recesses and having each its apex spaced from said bottom wall of said container, each of said strips being fastened on one end thereof to the other end of said partition; a plurality of spaced projections extendingrsubstantially normal to said partition from the bottom edge thereof; and lever means pivotally connected to said one end of said partition by'means of a pivot pin extending through said elongated hole of said partition and having a face abutting against said abutting face ofv said partition, said lever means having further an extension located above said top edge of said container, said lever means being movable from a rest position in which said pivot pin is located at the end of the elongated hole farthest spaced from said one end of said partition and in which said extension is spaced from said top edge of said container to an operating position in which said pivot pin is moved to the other end of said elongated hole so that the other end of said strips are moved away from said one end thereof whereby said strips are stretched and in which said extension of said lever means engages said top edge of said container to lift said one end of said partition away from said bottom wall of said container.

8. An ice tray assembly for a refrigerator comprising, in combination, a trough-shaped container having a bottom wall and a top edge spaced from said bottom wall; at least one partition loosely mounted in said container and extending longitudinally therethrough substantially normal to said bottom wall thereof and having a bottom edge adjacent to said bottom wall of said container and a top edge spaced therefrom; at least two strips formed from flexible, resilient material and respectively extending in a zig-zag path between said top edge and said bottom edge of said partition substantially normal to and along opposite sides of said partition from one end to the other end thereof, so as to form on each side of said partition a first series of triangular recesses having each its apex adjacent to the bottom wall of said container, and a second series of triangular recesses each being located between adjacent recesses of said rst series of triangularv recesses and having each its apex spaced from said bottom wall of said container, each of said strips being fastened on one end thereof to one end of said partition; a plurality of spaced projections extending substantially normal to said partition from the bottom edge thereof; and lever means pivotally connected to the other end of said partition adjacent the top edge thereof and the other ends of said strips being respectively connected to said lever means at a point spaced from said other end of said partition farther than the pivotal connection between said lever means and said partition, said lever means having an extension located above said top edge of said container so that upon turning of said lever means said other ends of said strips will be moved away from said one end thereof whereby the strips are stretched and said extension of said lever will abut against the top edge of said container so that said other end of said partition will be lifted relative to the bottom wall of said container.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,184,117 Morley May 23, 1916 2,028,047 Cole Jan. 14, 1936 2,043,881 Buchanan June 9, 1936 2,189,959 Money Feb. 13, 1940 2,221,438 Bartels Nov. 12, 1940 2,255,153 Crowley Sept. 9, 1941 2,257,847 Jacobs Oct. 7, 1941 2,444,789 Reeves July 6, 1948 2,466,747 Siebigteroth Apr. 12, 1949 2,763,997 Roberts Sept. 25, 1956

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